{"id":2510,"date":"2018-03-20T13:45:34","date_gmt":"2018-03-20T17:45:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/?p=2510"},"modified":"2018-03-20T13:45:34","modified_gmt":"2018-03-20T17:45:34","slug":"pet-sitter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/","title":{"rendered":"The Right Stuff: Finding the Perfect Pet Sitter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-2509 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/OVRS_iStock-171326992_high-2000x1333.jpg\" alt=\"pet sitter\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/OVRS_iStock-171326992_high.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/OVRS_iStock-171326992_high-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/OVRS_iStock-171326992_high-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/>When we have to leave our pets, finding a place for them to stay is downright difficult. There are wonderful facilities out there, but for some, a pet sitter who comes to your house is the way to go. But how to find the perfect person for this important job?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/\">Oakland Veterinary Referral Service<\/a> offers a pet sitter checklist along with a few tips to help you find the perfect match.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h3>Explore Your Options<\/h3>\n<p>Start looking for a pet sitter early so you can take your time finding the right person for your pet. Check with your veterinarian, friends, and co-workers for word-of-mouth recommendations. There are many websites out there, but first-hand referrals from people you trust is always helpful.<\/p>\n<p>If you need an alternative to personal recommendations, there are two national organizations that certify and train pet sitters. <a href=\"https:\/\/petsitters.org\/\">The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.petsit.com\/\">Pet Sitters International<\/a> are great places to start your search online.<\/p>\n<p>Professional pet sitters might offer other services, such as grooming, training, watering plants, or bringing in the mail. Most offer live-in care which can give your home a lived-in feel while you\u2019re away (also a deterrent for burglars). Professional pet sitters should be licensed and bonded since they\u2019ll have full access to your home and personal belongings.<\/p>\n<h3>Ask the Right Questions<\/h3>\n<p>It may sound funny, but owners should approach hiring a pet sitter the same way you would a babysitter or nanny. It\u2019s important to ask the right questions, listen to and record their answers, and watch carefully for how they might interact with you and your pets. Here are a few questions to ask:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Why do you like pet sitting?<\/li>\n<li>What does your service include? How many visits per day, and what do you do during each visit?<\/li>\n<li>What\u2019s your experience with animals outside of pet sitting?<\/li>\n<li>Tell me about a time when you had to handle a pet emergency while pet sitting. What did you do?<\/li>\n<li>Do you have a written contract? What does it include?<\/li>\n<li>How many other pets are you currently sitting for? What references may I call?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Special Needs Pets<\/h3>\n<p>If your pet has special needs, such as medications or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/specialty-services\/veterinary-behavior.html\">behavioral issues<\/a>, ask people about their experience in these areas. We can also provide some specific tips about how to set your pet up for success with a new pet sitter.<\/p>\n<h3>Emergencies<\/h3>\n<p>We see it all too often. Pet emergencies always seem to occur when you\u2019re out of town or, better yet, out of the country and unreachable. They seem to plan it that way! For this reason, we created our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/downloads\/pet-sitter-checklist.pdf\">pet sitter checklist<\/a>, and we invite you to fill it out and use it to ensure your pet sitter is prepared for an emergency. Better safe than sorry!<\/p>\n<h3>Last But Not Least<\/h3>\n<p>There\u2019s one member of the family who should definitely be involved in the interview process &#8211; your pet! Any pet sitter worth their salt should be happy to come and meet your pet so you can watch them interact and let your pet get to know them.<\/p>\n<p>We hope you find these tips useful as you begin your search for a pet sitter. If you need any help or more guidance, please <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/contact-us\/\">contact us<\/a>. We\u2019re happy to help!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When we have to leave our pets, finding a place for them to stay is downright difficult. There are wonderful facilities out there, but for some, a pet sitter who comes to your house is the way to go. But how to find the perfect person for this important job? Oakland Veterinary Referral Service offers [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,19,29],"tags":[456,863,866,864,865],"class_list":["post-2510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pet-safety","category-pet-travel-boarding","category-you-your-pet","tag-pet-care","tag-pet-sitter","tag-watch-my-pet","tag-watch-pets","tag-what-do-i-do-with-my-pet"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Right Stuff: Finding the Perfect Pet Sitter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Oakland Veterinary Referral Service offers a pet sitter checklist along with a few tips to help you find the perfect match.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Right Stuff: Finding the Perfect Pet Sitter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Oakland Veterinary Referral Service offers a pet sitter checklist along with a few tips to help you find the perfect match.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Oakland Veterinary Referral Services\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ovrservices\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-03-20T17:45:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/OVRS_iStock-171326992_high-2000x1333.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"OVRS Staff\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"OVRS Staff\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"OVRS Staff\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/624f934086950c0c4fde65d49fc64823\"},\"headline\":\"The Right Stuff: Finding the Perfect Pet Sitter\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-03-20T17:45:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/\"},\"wordCount\":559,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/OVRS_iStock-171326992_high-2000x1333.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"pet care\",\"Pet Sitter\",\"Watch My Pet\",\"Watch Pets\",\"What Do I Do With My Pet\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Pet Safety\",\"Pet Travel &amp; Boarding\",\"You &amp; Your Pet\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/\",\"name\":\"The Right Stuff: Finding the Perfect Pet Sitter\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/OVRS_iStock-171326992_high-2000x1333.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-03-20T17:45:34+00:00\",\"description\":\"Oakland Veterinary Referral Service offers a pet sitter checklist along with a few tips to help you find the perfect match.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/OVRS_iStock-171326992_high.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/OVRS_iStock-171326992_high.jpg\",\"width\":2000,\"height\":1333,\"caption\":\"pet safety\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Right Stuff: Finding the Perfect Pet Sitter\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Oakland Veterinary Referral Services\",\"description\":\"Oakland Veterinary Referral Services Blog\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Oakland Veterinary Referral Services\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/OVRS_logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/OVRS_logo.png\",\"width\":696,\"height\":696,\"caption\":\"Oakland Veterinary Referral Services\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ovrservices\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/624f934086950c0c4fde65d49fc64823\",\"name\":\"OVRS Staff\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b80b9c3ccfe4b645ff35a623de5c58ef22606b7868bac923ebc89d15ca05c921?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b80b9c3ccfe4b645ff35a623de5c58ef22606b7868bac923ebc89d15ca05c921?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"OVRS Staff\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/author\/ovrs\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Right Stuff: Finding the Perfect Pet Sitter","description":"Oakland Veterinary Referral Service offers a pet sitter checklist along with a few tips to help you find the perfect match.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Right Stuff: Finding the Perfect Pet Sitter","og_description":"Oakland Veterinary Referral Service offers a pet sitter checklist along with a few tips to help you find the perfect match.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/","og_site_name":"Oakland Veterinary Referral Services","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ovrservices","article_published_time":"2018-03-20T17:45:34+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/OVRS_iStock-171326992_high-2000x1333.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"OVRS Staff","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"OVRS Staff","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/"},"author":{"name":"OVRS Staff","@id":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/624f934086950c0c4fde65d49fc64823"},"headline":"The Right Stuff: Finding the Perfect Pet Sitter","datePublished":"2018-03-20T17:45:34+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/"},"wordCount":559,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/OVRS_iStock-171326992_high-2000x1333.jpg","keywords":["pet care","Pet Sitter","Watch My Pet","Watch Pets","What Do I Do With My Pet"],"articleSection":["Pet Safety","Pet Travel &amp; Boarding","You &amp; Your Pet"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/","name":"The Right Stuff: Finding the Perfect Pet Sitter","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/OVRS_iStock-171326992_high-2000x1333.jpg","datePublished":"2018-03-20T17:45:34+00:00","description":"Oakland Veterinary Referral Service offers a pet sitter checklist along with a few tips to help you find the perfect match.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/OVRS_iStock-171326992_high.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/OVRS_iStock-171326992_high.jpg","width":2000,"height":1333,"caption":"pet safety"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-sitter\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Right Stuff: Finding the Perfect Pet Sitter"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/","name":"Oakland Veterinary Referral Services","description":"Oakland Veterinary Referral Services Blog","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Oakland Veterinary Referral Services","url":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/OVRS_logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/OVRS_logo.png","width":696,"height":696,"caption":"Oakland Veterinary Referral Services"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ovrservices"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/624f934086950c0c4fde65d49fc64823","name":"OVRS Staff","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b80b9c3ccfe4b645ff35a623de5c58ef22606b7868bac923ebc89d15ca05c921?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b80b9c3ccfe4b645ff35a623de5c58ef22606b7868bac923ebc89d15ca05c921?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"OVRS Staff"},"url":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/author\/ovrs\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2510","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2510"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2510\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2511,"href":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2510\/revisions\/2511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}